My Deer Garden

Plant record · Fern · Dryopteridaceae

Is Christmas Fern deer resistant?

Polystichum acrostichoides

Christmas fern fronds, dark green and leathery, in woodland shade
Photo by Wasp32, CC BY 4.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Damage step 1 of 4 · Rarely Damaged

Yes. Deer almost always leave this alone.

Type
Fern
Hardiness
Zones 3–9
Light
Full shade to part shade
Height
12–36 in
Maintenance
Low
Native range
35 US states
Family
Dryopteridaceae

Damage steps follow a published university field scale. How plants are rated.

About Christmas Fern

Near-universally deer-proof, like almost all ferns, and evergreen through winter, which is unusual and useful.

The fronds stay green under snow and then flatten themselves to the ground in late winter, which looks like damage but is not. That flattening is thought to mulch the crown and let the new fiddleheads through in spring. Cut the old fronds off in March, before the new ones unfurl, and the plant looks sharp all season.

Native across eastern North America and genuinely tough for a fern: it takes drier shade than most, which makes it one of the few things that works under a mature maple where the roots take all the moisture.

Soil and care

Soil pH
5 to 7
Drainage
Consistently moist
Water
Moderate
Fertility
Low
Spacing
18 to 24 in apart
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low

Tolerances and uses

Drought
Moderate
Salt
Low
Pollinators
None

Evergreen·Containers

What to plant it with

  • Hellebore

    The core of a deer-proof shade planting. Both evergreen, both ignored, both happy in dry shade once established.

Similar to Christmas Fern

Other ferns with the same deer rating.

Where Christmas Fern is used

4 guides on this site plant it, and say where and what beside it.

Where Christmas Fern grows

Hardy across every state on zone range alone, and native to 35 of them. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering. Select any state, including one it will not grow in, for what is resistant there.

Alabama — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 9.Alaska — hardy here. Zones 1 to 8.Arizona — hardy here. Zones 5 to 10.Arkansas — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.California — hardy here. Zones 7 to 10.Colorado — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Connecticut — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Delaware — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 7.District of Columbia — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 8.Florida — native, and hardy. Zones 8 to 11.Georgia — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 9.Hawaii — hardy here. Zones 9 to 12.Idaho — hardy here. Zones 3 to 7.Illinois — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Indiana — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 6.Iowa — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 6.Kansas — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Kentucky — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 7.Louisiana — native, and hardy. Zones 8 to 10.Maine — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 6.Maryland — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.Massachusetts — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Michigan — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 6.Minnesota — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 5.Mississippi — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 9.Missouri — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Montana — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Nebraska — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Nevada — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New Hampshire — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 6.New Jersey — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 7.New Mexico — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New York — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 7.North Carolina — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.North Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 4.Ohio — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 6.Oklahoma — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.Oregon — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Pennsylvania — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Rhode Island — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 7.South Carolina — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 9.South Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Tennessee — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.Texas — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 9.Utah — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.Vermont — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 5.Virginia — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.Washington — hardy here. Zones 5 to 8.West Virginia — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Wisconsin — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 5.Wyoming — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.
Native and hardyHardy on zone rangeNot hardy — still linked
Choose a state from the listeasier on a phone

Common questions about Christmas Fern

Is Christmas Fern deer resistant?
Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) is rated Rarely Damaged, step 1 of 4 on the damage scale this site uses. Deer almost always leave this alone.
What hardiness zones does Christmas Fern grow in?
Christmas Fern is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
Does Christmas Fern grow in shade?
Yes. Christmas Fern tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
How big does Christmas Fern get?
Mature height is roughly 12–36 in. Growth rate is slow.

Browse from here

Every list Christmas Fern belongs to.

All ferns·Rarely damaged·Shade plants·Evergreen shrubs

Hardy in these zones

Zone 3·Zone 4·Zone 5·Zone 6·Zone 7·Zone 8·Zone 9

Damage ratings follow the four-step field scale published by Rutgers University. Growing data is compiled from state extension sources and still being verified record by record. Last reviewed .